Help add to Ars’ $18,000+ 2012 Child’s Play charity contest haul

And get your chance to win a bunch of cool swag in the process.

When I decided to take over the Child's Play charity drive that former gaming editor Ben Kuchera has been running since 2007, I was a little nervous about doing the tradition proud. Would the gaming and tech swag I had been storing up in my office all year really be enough to convince people to donate? Would the Ars readership still be feeling as generous as they had in previous years?

Apparently I was worried for nothing, because you guys have already donated a grand total of $18,620.84 towards providing toys and games for sick kids in hospitals around the world.

We've had over 250 entries so far, with the top donators giving thousands to the cause. But don't let that discourage you; every donation, large or small, has the same chance of winning a prize (and be sure that the sick kids appreciate every dollar you can spare). With over 90 individual bits of swag to give away this year, everyone's chances of winning are still pretty good, at the moment. Of course, we'd like to make them a bit worse by getting even more donations before the January 4th deadline for this year's contest.

Last year, Ars readers gave roughly $26,000 to Child's Play. Since 2007, we have yet to have a year where readers haven't set a new record for generosity. Let's not make this the first year that happens.

How to enter

Donating is simple. Head over to the official Child's Play site to donate via PayPal or pick out an item from the Amazon wish list for a participating hospital directly. Donate as much or as little as you feel comfortable with; every little bit helps.

Once that's done, it's time to register your entry in our contest. Just grab a digital copy of your receipt (a screenshot, or simply a cut and paste of the text) and send it to ChildsPlay@arstechnica.com by Friday, January 4, 2013. Every receipt counts as an entry in a drawing for one of the prizes outlined below. (One entry per person, and each person can only win up to one prize. US residents only. See official rules for entry without purchase.) We'll then contact the winners and have them choose their prize by January 31 (choosing takes place in the order the winners are drawn).

Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl

7. ODDS OF WINNING. The odds of winning this Promotion depend on the number of eligible entries received. [IF YOU ARE ALLOWING MULTIPLE ENTRIES THAN ADD THE FOLLOWING TO THIS PARAGRAPH No duplicate prize winners.]

Forwarding the amazon confirmation from the hospital wishlist suffices? It doesn't seem to have anything indicating that its officially via Child's Play but it's clear that everything was purchased for a children's hospital.

Great program, great idea! This is my first opportunity to donate, and I must admit it will be a paltry $1.98 emptying of the paypal balance before I can get some more cash on there first of the year. Swag aside I think its a nice gesture to promote this kind of stuff!

Forwarding the amazon confirmation from the hospital wishlist suffices? It doesn't seem to have anything indicating that its officially via Child's Play but it's clear that everything was purchased for a children's hospital.

Forwarding the amazon confirmation from the hospital wishlist suffices? It doesn't seem to have anything indicating that its officially via Child's Play but it's clear that everything was purchased for a children's hospital.

This is what I sent and I didn't get anything bounced back to me from ARS saying it wasn't good enough.